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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28168776">like daylight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutbooks/pseuds/falloutbooks'>falloutbooks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pentagon (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family Feels, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Single Parent Yang Hongseok, Teacher Yan An, slightly aged up characters, yanan's sparkly eyes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:20:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28168776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutbooks/pseuds/falloutbooks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harboring a crush-but-not-really on his daughter's preschool teacher was fine when he was this unattainable, cute, whimsical figure in an oversized sweater and with stars in his eyes but now, now Yanan was here. In his gym. Wearing a tank top. </p><p>Hongseok is, to put it simply, screwed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Yan An/Yang Hongseok</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Constellations Fest for Pentagon</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>like daylight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hongseok is late to pick up his daughter. As a work from home dad who lives 10 minutes away from the preschool, this has never happened to him before but, with work deadlines piling up he simply lost track of time.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>,” he mutters as he rummages around the apartment trying to find his cellphone between the research papers for work and his daughter’s drying fingerpaintings. Once he finds the offending item he quickly pockets it, grabs his keys and all but sprints out of the apartment.</p><p>Hongseok has always been an athletic person but even he has to admit making it to the preschool, paradoxically named Kindergarden, in just five minutes is an impressive feat. Seeing the small house that served as an educational center in front of him filled him with relief. Part of the reason why he had been so drawn to this institution was its infrastructure; an old house with a massive backyard for the kids to run and a front yard that had the wildest array of flowers, completed with a pond so small it could be mistaken for a puddle.</p><p>As he walks closer to the gates of the school, he sees his daughter talking animatedly with a tall figure in between the camellias. He can’t help but feel a little at ease at the sight. Being 20 minutes late to pick up his daughter is not his proudest moment as a parent but seeing her happily waiting for him, not feeling abandoned like he knows she once could have been, settles something inside him.</p><p>“Hi Yewon,” he says, smiling.</p><p>“Hi Papa!” she replies excitedly. “I was waiting for you while talking to teacher Yanan! He was telling me about the flowers here.”</p><p>“Oh, really? That’s wonderful, Princess.” He focuses on who appears to be his daughter’s teacher and feels his breath catching in his throat. The man is stunning, he’s tall and younger than what he had been expecting, with strong facial features and dark hair, <em>longer than mine</em>, he notes absentmindedly. In a different setting, he would’ve been slightly intimidated but the teacher is looking at his daughter with a fond smile on his face and he’s wearing a ridiculously oversized violet cardigan that completely engulfs his figure and he can see the remains of paint in his hands from the day’s lesson and Hongseok is so, so fucked. </p><p>“Um… Thank you for keeping her company while she waited, I’m not usually late but I got caught up in work and—” The teacher caughts him off with a smile. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it. I always stay until late to tidy up the classroom and Yewon has been kind enough to listen to me ramble about flowers for a bit.”</p><p>“Mhm. I also talked a lot! Papa did you know we can drink these flowers’ leaves?” she asks, while motioning to her father that she wants to get carried.</p><p>“I didn’t know! Maybe next time you can ask your teacher to give you some so we can make tea at home,” he replies while holding her up.</p><p>“Yes! And teacher Yanan can come over and we can have a tea party like uncle Jinho taught us!” </p><p>Hongseok laughs at his daughter’s enthusiasm and can’t help but grin a little wider when he notices the tips of Yanan’s ears have gone red. Cute, he thinks.</p><p>“Maybe some other day, princess. We’ll be waiting for your flowers, teacher Yanan but, right now, there’s someone that needs to nap.” </p><p>Yanan smiles at the two of them while fidgeting with the sleeves of his cardigan. Hongseok thinks it’s unfair how easily that smile reflects in every part of his face. He’s pretty sure human’s eyes aren’t meant to sparkle like that. “See you tomorrow Yewon, goodbye, Mr. Yang, don’t be surprised if your daughter goes back home with flowers and tea leaves.”</p><p>“I’ll be waiting,” he answers with one final look towards the man who looks like he should be surrounded with flowers wherever he goes, to preserve the gentle giant vibe he has forever. With Yanan’s eyes on his mind and his daughter on his arms, Hongseok takes a brief moment to contemplate how completely and utterly screwed he is before heading back home.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Fridays are Hongseok’s least favourite day of the week. The newspaper he works for is printed every Saturday, which means his weekly article needs to be written and revised the day before, which means he needs to spend an extra amount of time working that day. Thankfully, his best friend Jinho has Friday afternoons free from his job at a recording studio so he picks up Yewon from the preschool, giving Hongseok enough time to focus solely on writing.</p><p>Honestly, Jinho is one of Hongseok’s biggest supports as a single parent. His flexible schedule as a producer and the proximity of his workplace to the Yang household had proven to be useful on more than one occasion. Not only that, he’s always ready to reassure Hongseok and, most importantly, he loves Yewon to the moon and back, establishing himself as a reliable figure from early on in her life. All in all, he is eternally grateful for his best friend. Or, at least, he had been until the man walked into his house with a shit eating grin on his face saying:</p><p>“Oh, Hongseok, Yewonie and I had the most <em>interesting</em> conversation on the way back.”</p><p>“Did you, really?” he asks but before he can get a reply his three year old runs towards his legs and clings to one of them, a cute habit he hopes she doesn’t outgrow for a while. </p><p>“Hi Papa,” she says looking up at him. “I told uncle Jinho about the camellias teacher Yanan promised to give us so we could drink flowers!” </p><p>He smiles at his daughter and takes a glance at his friend, who is looking at them with a knowing smile. “She told me <em>everything</em> about her teacher who is tall and young and likes pandas and flowers…  If I had known the two of you had found a new favorite person I would have tried to meet him.”</p><p>Hongseok makes a noise of protest. “He is not my favorite person! I met him yesterday! He may be tall, around my age and really good with kids but that does not mean whatever you’re implying, hyung.”</p><p>His daughter untangles herself from his right leg and stands precisely on Hongseok’s field of vision. She holds her hands together over her stomach and, while pouting, asks:</p><p>“So teacher Yanan can’t come over for a tea party?”</p><p>He tries not to melt completely at his kid’s feet but fails since he makes the mistake of holding eye contact. </p><p>“No, no, I never said that either! <em>If</em> your teacher is free and willing to come over to drink the flowers he wants to give us, <em>then</em> he can come over for tea.” </p><p>Seeing how fast her face changes, Hongseok has the belated realization his three year old has finally learned to weaponize her cuteness.</p><p>“That’s great Papa! But not today,” she says, shaking her head. “Teacher Yanan didn’t get permisisson to cut the flowers yet.”</p><p>“That’s a big word princess,” he replies “we pronounce it like this: <em>per-mi-ssion</em>.”</p><p>“Per-mi-ssion,” she parrots back. “Yup, that’s what teacher Yanan said I had to tell you so you wouldn’t be sad you didn’t get flowers today, papa!”</p><p>Hongseok tries not to glare at Jinho when the older man lets out a giggle at this comment. It becomes an easier task if he focuses on how Yanan had gone out of his way to teach his daughter a mini speech just so his feelings would be spared. Such a small gesture, and yet, he couldn’t resist the blush spreading across his face.</p><p>“Well, tomorrow you’ll tell him thank you from me, okay Yewon? Right now, though, you need to take a nap.” he says, picking up his daughter from the floor and turning to glare at his friend. “It’s not what you think”</p><p>“I didn’t even say anything!” his friend protests.</p><p>After putting his daughter to bed, he heads to the kitchen to fix up lunch with Jinho. It’s almost routine; the two of them together, trying their hardest to make something edible. They met during college as roommates and, being the only people in their apartment with enough time and skill to even attempt to set foot in the kitchen, often found themselves in this position.</p><p>He is quickly shaken out from his reminiscent mood when he receives an elbow nudge from his best friend. </p><p>“So… your daughter’s teacher, huh?” Jinho asks while pointing the carrot peeler at him. Hongseok groans loudly in response. </p><p>“Ah, Jinho-hyung! It really is nothing! The teacher just accompanied Yewon because I was late to pick her up and, to calm her down, promised to give her flowers,”  he says.</p><p>“If it was just for Yewon then explain to me why I had to wait 10 extra minutes outside the preschool while her teacher was telling her what to say to you when she arrived home without flowers,” the other man replies in a deadpan tone. </p><p>“Okay, fine, maybe Yanan is a little gorgeous and incredibly sweet and somehow knew I was looking forward to getting flowers from him. Maybe I’m just excited because no one has offered to give me flowers in a while.”</p><p>“Don’t lie to yourself, Hongseokie, you get hit on all the time whenever you go to the gym but I know cute boys are your weakness.”</p><p><em>Fuck, he’s right</em>, he thinks. </p><p>“Anyways, I am not doing anything about this situation, I will just accept the flowers and keep an amicable relationship with my daughter’s teacher,” he responds in an overly cheerful tone. </p><p>Jinho puts down the chopping knife he was holding and pats his arm slowly. “Good luck with that, Hong, you’re disciplined in a lot of things but never when it comes to matters of the heart.”</p><p>He lets out a sigh. It’s only October but he already knows it’s going to be a long school year.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The school Yewon is attending can easily be described with the word <em>unique</em>. It had been recommended to him by his close coworker Wooseok, whose boyfriend was a teacher at the institution. They prioritized the children’s emotional development rather than their academic abilities but what really set the place apart was their celebrations, or events, that they held so the kids could showcase their work to the parents. There were four a year, without considering the end of the year event: Wind Day, Fire Day, Earth Day and Water Day.  Yewon had a lot of fun participating in these celebrations the year before and it looked like this time it would be no different.</p><p>Yewon had been sick for Wind Day, which took place at the end of September to serve as a bonding event between parents and teachers, so they were unable to go much to the girl’s disappointment. Currently, Fire Day is scheduled to start in five hours and she’s practically vibrating with excitement. It consists of the entire class and their parents meeting at the preschool one afternoon in winter. There, they do an activity while waiting for the sun to set and, once it’s dark, they light lanterns the kids decorated for the span of a week. Altogether, they begin walking towards a big park that has a space designated for a bonfire where they share snacks and songs until the parent decides to call it a day. It’s a sweet bonding activity that allows parents to spend time with their kid and socialize with one another.</p><p>“Papa, is it time to go yet?” Yewon asks, walking into the kitchen.</p><p>“Not yet, Princess,” Hongseok replies as he puts down the wooden spoon he was using to stir fry some vegetables. “I thought you were going to take a nap while I cooked lunch.”</p><p>“I can’t,” she replies miserably. “I was scared I would sleep for too long and miss it!”</p><p>“Oh, darling… I would’ve woken you up!” he glances at his daughter and, when he sees her pouting, sits her down on the counter. “You can keep me company while I cook or, even better, help me make lunch!”</p><p>She pretends to think about her answer for a while until she nods her head.</p><p>“Okay, you can move the vegetables with the spoon while I marinate the meat. Is that okay?” he asks.</p><p>“Yes, papa!” she responds, holding her hand out to receive the wooden spoon. She accommodates herself atop the counter so she’s facing the stove and, slowly, begins stirring vegetables. </p><p>“Good job, Yewon!” he replies, patting the top of her daughter’s head and moving towards the cutting board. </p><p>After a couple minutes of comfortable silence, his daughter speaks up.</p><p>“Papa, is uncle Wooseok going to be at Fire Day?” she asks.</p><p>“No, princess. Each class celebrates on a different day and, since he’s only going to help teacher Hyunggu, he won’t be there today,” he explains.</p><p>She whines in response to that. “I wanted him to see my lantern! I put pink glitter in my drawing for him, he said it was his favorite.”</p><p>“We can send him pictures of the lantern, don’t worry. Are you finally going to tell me what you drew in your lantern?” Hongseok asks, taking over cooking since it's time to add the meat.</p><p>Yewon shakes her head vehemently. “No, no, no, no, no! <em>You</em> have to wait, papa! It’s a secret.” </p><p>Hongseok rolls his eyes but can’t help to admire the dedication of his three year old. He’s honestly surprised she has managed to go a week without talking about the details of how she’s decorated her lantern. It seems that she needs to tell someone, though, so she asks her father to let her call uncle Wooseok so she can scold him and tell him everything he’s going to miss from this event while Hongseok finishes lunch. </p><p>After that, she seems more calm and they’re able to make it through the meal without the dreaded question: “Is it time yet?” Once they’re done eating they lay down on the couch to watch a program about the top ten most dangerous animals in the world. Thankfully, Yewon is too used to her afternoon nap so she falls asleep while the narrator is introducing animal number three, the Komodo dragon. </p><p>Hongseok decides to tidy around the house to waste some time and, once Yewon wakes up, she declares she wants to help too. Between organizing toys and files, sweeping and wiping off surfaces the hours tick by, next thing they know there are forty minutes to go until Fire Day starts. Hongseok lets his daughter pick out the clothes she wants to wear while he takes a shower. After getting properly dressed up, they both start their walk towards the preschool. </p><p>At the gates, with the camellias surrounding him, stands Yanan welcoming his students and parents with stars in his eyes and a genuine smile on his face. Hongseok loses his ability to breath for a moment. The other man is wearing a white dress shirt and a striped sweater vest with some skinny jeans and a giant padded jacket on top. He thinks that, despite the cold, he might melt, Yanan has sweater (padding?) paws for fuck’s sake, he’s just too cute. He hadn’t even realized he stopped moving until his daughter pulls him forward, excited to see her teacher on a day where she has no school.</p><p>“Hi teacher Yanan!” Yewon yells enthusiastically.</p><p>“Hi Yewon!” he replies in the same tone, leaning down slightly to boop his student’s nose. “Are you excited for today?” </p><p>Hongseok laughs at the question while his daughter moves her head up and down frantically. </p><p>“She’s been waiting all week for this! I think that if she had to go through another day without telling me about her lantern design she would’ve exploded.” He says, smiling fondly at his daughter. </p><p>Yanan looks a little startled. </p><p>“Oh! I didn’t know you actually liked the idea of surprising your dad, Yewonie,” he comments.</p><p>She gets a little shy at that comment, her tiny hand gripping her father’s leg. Yanan smiles at the sight and kneels down so they are face to face. </p><p>“That’s very thoughtful of you, Yewon! It must’ve been hard but seeing the look on your dad’s face will make it all worth it.”</p><p>Yewon grins back at him and launches into a story about the last surprise she received, when it was her birthday earlier in the year. Impossibly, Yanan’s smile grows wider as the story progresses and his eyes turn into small crescents. Hongseok marvels at the sight, completely transfixed by the scene. Ever since he broke up with Yewon’s mother, he hasn’t met a single person who liked his daughter before getting to know him; the dating scene as a single father was… limited, to say the least. Right now, seeing Yanan beaming at his daughter as he listens attentively to the memory she’s recalling he can’t help but feel his heartbeat speed up. Jinho was right, when it comes to matters of the heart, Hongseok has no control.</p><p>His little crisis is cut short as another family arrives at the preschool. Yanan gives them an apologetic glance as they make their way inside the house and Hongseok can’t help but notice how the other man’s ears have gone slightly red. </p><p>I am so fucked, he thinks as he helps his kid out of her winter wear and hangs it in the hook under the sign “YEWON”, decorated with a tiny handprint that should match the hand he’s holding. He lets her guide him around the classroom as she shows him her favorite toys and paintings that she’s made. Once she’s done, they sit at a table with the couple from before, who ended up being the uncles of one of Yewon’s closest friends.</p><p>After a while of pleasant small talk, Yanan walks into the classroom and stands at the front, with his ever-present smile on his face.</p><p>“Good evening everyone! I am so glad you were able to join us for this year’s Fire Day! In case you don’t know me, my name is Yan An but you can just call me Teacher Yanan.”</p><p>Even before he finishes his little introduction, excited claps and giggles already fill the room. Some kids even let out tiny cheers, the high pitched screams of “Teacher Yanan!” are enough to make Hongseok smile. He takes a quick glance at Yanan and notices the other man with a similar expression, staring fondly at his students.</p><p>“Thank you,” he says in a soft voice. “We’ll be starting our walk towards the park in about an hour but before we go we need to make sure we look like one team, right?”</p><p>The responding chorus is definitely too loud for the small classroom but no one seems to mind. The kids’ enthusiasm is contagious.</p><p>“That’s what I thought!” Yanan replies, visibly more confident. “My friend Changgu, who is here today to help with the event, and I will be passing out recycled cardboard paper that we can decorate with markers or glitter to make headbands! While we do so, you can tell your family members about what we’ve been doing in class and if you want to show them a drawing you did, I can get them for you. Are you guys ready?”</p><p>The answering ‘YES!’ could definitely be heard across the block but nobody in the classroom cares, not when a single look at their kids’ face reflects more excitement than their tiny bodies should be able to contain. </p><p>Hongseok looks at Yewon and his heart swells.</p><p>“So, what are you thinking, Princess? How should we decorate ours?”</p><p>“Pink and glitter, Papa. Those are the bases of art.” </p><p>Hongseok snorts in response to the serious tone of his daughter. “Who taught you to speak like that? Was it Hyunggu?” he ruffles her hair fondly. “I’ll draw mine and you add glitter, okay?”</p><p>She nods happily. They lose themselves in their work, participating every now and then in the conversation the other family has started. Seonho, Yewon’s friend, is a real talker and so are his uncles. Hongseok quickly finds out they’re here because Seonho’s mother got called in at work unexpectedly, that the uncles (Hoetaek and Shinwon) have their wedding planned even if they’re not engaged and that Seonho went through an ant eating phase a couple of months ago. It’s a lot but he’s having a lot of fun and he can tell Yewon is too.</p><p>As he hands over his crown so Yewon can cover his flower drawings in disproportionate amounts of glitter, he notices a small problem. The activity can only last one hour if there are at least three crowns being made or if the kids make multiple crowns by themselves. It’s only been 35 minutes and he fears his daughter might get restless waiting until the sun goes down. Just as he’s about to suggest that she gives him a detailed explanation of everything she’s made since she started preschool this year, he feels a small tug at his jacket. He leans down so his daughter can have the illusion of whispering even if she’s still struggling with the concept of an ‘inside voice’.</p><p>“Papa, teacher Yanan doesn’t have a crown,” she says urgently. And it’s true, the other man is so caught up with helping the other kids and talking to parents he doesn't seem to register he’s missing his own headband. Changgu, the helper, is sitting down with a family he seems to know making his own crown but not Yanan. “We can’t be a team if our leader doesn’t look like part of the team, Papa!”</p><p>“Well, princess, what do you think we can do about it?”</p><p>“I know! We need to make him a crown! The best crown, with lots of glitter!”</p><p>“That’s a great idea Yewon! Do you know anything your teacher likes, so we can draw it in?”</p><p>“Ummmm… He likes pandas and flowers and pink! He <em>really</em> likes pandas…”</p><p>Hongseok smiles at the newfound information. Really, this man can’t be any more endearing to him. His mind is already running with ideas, thinking about how to make the best possible paper crown in the time that they have left.</p><p>“Okay, how about this: I cut the shape of the crown into panda ears, you draw flowers to paste on it and we add lots of glitter at the end.”</p><p>“Yes! We need to make it pretty!”</p><p>“The prettiest,” he replies, just as seriously.</p><p>They get back into their previous rhythm- talking and laughing and drawing and glittering. All too soon, Yanan stands at the front of the classroom again. </p><p>“Everyone! The sun is setting so it’s time for us to wear our crowns and start lighting our lanterns. Changgu and I will be handing out the lanterns and then going around to light them and, once we’re done, we can start our walk to the park.”</p><p>Chatter starts immediately as parents and kids get the finishing touches on their artwork and start receiving their lanterns. The man introduced as Changgu heads towards their table with an impressive number of lanterns dangling from his arms.</p><p>“Seonho, Yewon, could you help me tell which one of these is yours?”</p><p>The children scramble quickly out of their seats to try and pick up their creations. He tries to look away, remembering his daughter’s intention to surprise him and finds himself looking straight at Hoetaek. </p><p>“Today’s really made me want to have kids and the special relationship you guys have is definitely not helping me quell down this desire,” the other man says smiling.</p><p>Shinwon lets out a distressed noise next to him.</p><p>“Babe, please let me propose to you before you start organizing the adoption process.” </p><p>Hoetaek giggles and gives his boyfriend such a fond look Hongseok can’t help but feel like he’s intruding a private moment. Before the loneliness that comes from third wheeling hits him, Yewon walks back towards the table hiding the lantern behind her small frame.</p><p>“Surprise, Papa, isn’t it super beautiful?”</p><p>The lantern is in the shape of a heart with the borders lined with the mandatory pink glitter and, inside of it there are many drawings. The central piece is two stick figures holding hands, one significantly taller than the other. On each of the people’s sides there are many smaller, unidentifiable drawings. </p><p>“It’s us holding hands so we can be together forever and the things we like the most on each of our sides! I put coffee, exercise, a camera, music, uncle Jinho and a camellia for you. I drew my favorites for myself: frogs, uncle Wooseok, glitter, cats, pandas and New York. And look! The other side has our names written in glitter! Teacher Yanan helped me a lot for this part, isn’t it super pretty Papa?”</p><p>“It’s the prettiest, Princess,” Hongseok answers honestly. </p><p>Yewon smiles in return and keeps on explaining in detail each drawing and how Yanan had helped her to draw some things she wasn’t familiar with. As she rambles on, he can’t help the feeling of warmth filling his entire body; his daughter’s happiness is really contagious.</p><p>As she finishes justifying her decision to place Wooseok on her favorite side over Jinho, Yanan reaches their table. He lights Seonho’s lantern first, exchanging pleasantries with the family and Hongseok can’t help but stare at the expression on his face, entranced to see the man in his natural element.</p><p>After what feels like forever, the teacher turns to them. </p><p>“Did your dad like the surprise Yewonie?”</p><p>She nods vehemently, having apparently run out of words after talking nonstop for seven minutes.</p><p>“It was really beautiful. Thank you for helping her bring her ideas to life,” he adds. </p><p>Yanan blushes slightly at the sincere praise and Hongseok smiles at the sight. With the oversized colorful sweater vest, the man looks like the textbook definition of adorable. </p><p>“Ah, really, it’s my job,” he replies looking up and their eyes meet. Rationally, Hongseok knows the lanterns are creating multiple light sources that reflect easily on a smooth dark surface. The romantic side of his brain is convinced the other man holds stars in his eyes. </p><p>A sudden gasp breaks the moment, the <em>something</em> hanging in the air retreating as quickly as it had appeared.</p><p>“Papa, we forgot about the crown!” Yewon screams. “Teacher Yanan, we made you a crown too, so you can match with the class!”</p><p>Yanan looks genuinely shocked.</p><p>“For… for me? Ah, really, thank you so much Yewonie, that was so thoughtful of you,” he replies, the widest grin Hongseok has ever seen adorning his face.</p><p>“Papa helped! He cut it into panda ears because I know that’s your favorite animal and then I drew all the flowers except for the camellia because Papa wanted to do that one.”</p><p>Both men are blushing by the time she’s done with her explanation.</p><p>“Ah… Thank you both for thinking about me,” Yanan says even though his eyes never leave Hongseok’s face.</p><p><em>How could I not?</em> he wants to answer, “No problem, we couldn’t let today’s leader walk out without something to match,” is what he says instead.</p><p>The teacher leaves after that, having to continue lighting other student’s lanterns but, before walking away, he directs a final smile towards Hongseok that has him trying to ignore the sudden speeding of his heart.</p><p>The rest of the evening is spent in a similar manner. They walk as a group towards the park, singing silly songs about the importance of fire while someone who might be Changgu plays the guitar from the back of the line. They get there and light up the bonfire so the kids can start running and playing nearby. He talks more with Hoetaek and Shinwon, runs around with his daughter and shares shy smiles with Yanan whenever their eyes meet across the bonfire. The warmth and contentment he gets from that day stays with him for the coming weeks.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mijoo is coming to Seoul for the weekend with her girlfriend Jiae and she wants Yewon to stay with them for the duration of her stay. Hongseok has no intention to say no, especially when his daughter spends the entire week buzzing with excitement at the prospect of seeing her mom in person after almost a year of irregular facetime calls. It’s not that Mijoo is completely out of the picture, she just lives in New York and her constantly busy schedule makes it difficult for communication even though Hongseok tries to be the bridge between them. </p><p>Over time, they have fallen back into an amicable relationship, a feat that seemed impossible after spending a whole year trying to raise a baby together. They had been dating for eleven months when Mijoo found out she was pregnant and decided she wanted to keep it. They were both 25, young enough to believe the desire to make it right was enough to create a family, failing to consider lack of sleep and parenthood pressures would inevitably change their dynamics. They fought so much and so intensely it was a wonder the neighbours never thought to call the police on them. When Yewon turned 6 months old, Mijoo moved out and Hongseok, the one who worked at home and owned the larger apartment, stayed with their daughter. When Yewon turned one year old, Mijoo got the opportunity to move to New York because of her work and visits three times a week turned into facetime calls once every two weeks. </p><p>Though distance altered the mother and daughter relationship, it got rid of any animosity between Hongseok and Mijoo. It was easier for him to be a mediator between the girls that way and somehow, they made it work. It was all worth it for moments like this: Yewon holding her tiny suitcase by the entrance with a smile that was threatening to split her face in two waving enthusiastically at Hongseok.</p><p>“Bye Papa! I love you, if you feel lonely you can cuddle my teddy bear. See you Monday!”</p><p>“Bye Princess,” he replies, nodding his face at Mijoo who takes her daughter’s hand in hers and closes the door.</p><p>It’s 6 PM on a Friday and Hongseok doesn’t know what to do by himself. He already finished working. It’s too early to make dinner and too late to deep clean his house. It’s February so walking through the streets would be impossible unless he was planning to freeze to death. He goes over a mental list of all the Friday night activities he used to do before he became a dad and, god, he feels too old to even be <em>considering</em> some of these things. </p><p>Suddenly, it hits him. The gym. He usually works out in the mornings at home, before he has to take Yewon to preschool. His yearly membership to the nearest gym has gone relatively unused, so he plans to condense months of exercise into an intense night. He quickly changes into some sweatpants, a faded graphic tee, the appropriate shoes and he’s ready to go. </p><p>A short walk later and Hongseok finds himself sheltered in the warmth of the gym. The sound of machines and panting was muffled by the deep, bass-heavy, electronic music coming through the speakers. He greets Mathew, the owner, in English and walks towards the elliptical machine to warm up with some cardio. He puts on his airpods and hits shuffle on his playlist, determined to block out his surroundings and focus only on his body.</p><p>After his third repetition in the lat pulldown machine he curses his self-belief. Even though he was strong and fit, months of at-home routines hadn’t prepared him for the exhaustion a full workout with weights could induce. Once he finishes the exercise he heads towards the water cooler to refill his currently empty reusable bottle. </p><p>As he passes through the bench pressing area he stumbles. Laying there, in a violet tank top and military green basketball shorts, raising 60 kg above his chest like it’s nothing is Yanan, his daughter’s teacher. Hongseok can’t breathe. He stares at the tensing and relaxing of the man’s triceps like he’s been hypnotized. Once he realizes what he’s doing he averts his eyes but there’s skin everywhere and, really, he’s only human. He can’t help but ogle at his chest, covered slightly in sweat and with the faintest pink flush spreading as far as the eye can see. Right before the tank top starts Hongseok notices the beginning of ink. He’s going to pass out or cry; it should be illegal for a human to look <em>this</em> good. </p><p>Months of smiles, pleasant small talk and light teasing at pick up time hadn’t prepared him for this. Harboring a crush-but-not-really on his daughter's pre-school teacher was fine when he was this unattainable, cute, whimsical figure in an oversized sweater and with stars in his eyes but now, now Yanan was here. In his gym. Wearing a tank top. </p><p>Hongseok is, to put it simply, screwed.</p><p>Yanan’s set finishes and he secures the barbell in its place, grabbing his towel and water bottle as he begins to stand up. The sudden movement reminds Hongseok exactly what he’s doing, he finally moves from the middle of the gym towards the water cooler to avoid being caught openly staring.</p><p>He doesn’t even make it halfway to his destination when a confused “Mr. Yang?” stops him in his tracks. He takes a deep breath and tries to recall the years he spent as a member of his university’s drama club before turning around.</p><p>“Teacher Yanan? Wow… What a surprise, I didn’t know you came to this gym!” </p><p>Judging by the heat on his own face and Yanan’s growing smirk, he hasn’t being successful at faking shock.</p><p>“Must’ve been quite a surprise for you, Mr. Yang, it took you a while to become aware of your surroundings again,” he answers, the teasing tone of his voice evident. The atmosphere at the gym is doing wonders for the man’s confidence and Hongseok feels a little light headed at the change in dynamics. </p><p>“I just… really wanted to use that bench press,” he says. Yanan smiles, a response already at the tip of his tongue. “I don’t mind waiting, not when the view looks like that.”</p><p>Yanan blushes, from the tip of his ears all the way to his chest. Hongseok tries not to stare. </p><p>“It’s free now.”</p><p>“I don’t want it anymore. Friday’s are leg days anyway.”</p><p>Yanan laughs in response, light yet all-encompassing, and Hongseok feels like he’s won <em>something</em>. He will gladly continue making a fool of himself if it means the taller man will keep smiling at him like that, all crescent eyes and teeth on display.</p><p>“Well, Mr. Yang—”</p><p>“Hyung is fine. We’re not at a school event.”</p><p>Hongseok hadn’t wanted to assume they were close enough to drop the formalities but, judging by the soft smile adorning Yanan’s face, he had made the right choice.</p><p>“Well, hyung, I was going to say that I have one more exercise to complete before I finish my routine and then it’s cool-down cardio. Do you want to have a competition with the walking machines?”</p><p>“I <em>guess</em> I can cut my routine short today for such an important event.”</p><p>“Great! Loser buys the other one boba! I remember promising you tea the first time we met and there’s a place right across the street.”</p><p>“Oh, you’re on,” he responds trying to ignore the fluttering in his chest, the simple fact Yanan remembers their first meeting has his heart speeding. Hongseok tries not to think about what this says about his standards for men and walks towards the leg press to conclude his routine.</p><p>Five minutes later, he makes his way to the treadmill zone to find Yanan standing there, with his arms crossed in a way that makes his arm muscles bulge. Hongseok swears under his breath. He knew the man was beautiful, with his long eyelashes and defined features, but finding out he's <em>ripped</em> as well? It's too much for his poor heart. </p><p>"So, how are we doing this?"</p><p>"Oh, it's easy. We set the machine to the maximum velocity and inclination and, after 10 minutes, whoever burns the most calories wins."</p><p>Hongseok hums in understanding. He can already feel his competitive spirit beginning to take over and decides to play it smart. Yanan had promised to give <em>him</em> tea after all. </p><p>“Let’s go.”</p><p>They both start out slow, familiar with the need to pace yourself when exercising while still exchanging teasing remarks between them. By minute seven, Hongseok can’t answer a single comment without panting between words like it’s some sort of punctuation device. Yanan laughs at him and he turns, ready to glare at him until he sees his face. </p><p>Whenever he’s seen him, the younger man has always been beautiful, always looking like someone grabbed a Greek marble statue and gave it a bright sweater vest. Here, under the fluorescent lights of the gym, he somehow still seems stunning, like a study in motion. His black hair is sticking slightly to his forehead because of sweat. He’s flushing pink due to exertion but the soft grin adorning his features makes him look enchanting. Hongseok can’t look away.</p><p>A drop of sweat drips by the side of Yanan’s face, falling agonizingly slow through his neck all the way into his chest. Hongseok trips and swears under his breath, waving off the other’s concerned look. He’s going to have to talk to Matthew about banning tank tops in the gym, they were a public safety hazard.</p><p>“It’s over,” Yanan announces, more breath than voice after what he assumes have been 10 minutes. “Tell me your number.” Hongseok feels like all his insides have turned into liquid and it’s not just because of the workout. </p><p>“Buy me coffee first,” he replies, almost on instinct.</p><p>Yanan rolls his eyes and Hongseok pointedly doesn’t look at his reddening cheeks. “I meant the number of calories. <em>Then</em> we’ll see who’s buying the boba.”</p><p>“177,” Hongseok replies after looking briefly at the machine. “You?”</p><p>“181. I won!” He screams, apparently too excited to modulate the tone of his voice. </p><p>“This is an invalid match,” he answers, pouting. “I tripped halfway through! Our circumstances weren’t equal!”</p><p>“Was I that distracting, hyung?”</p><p>“I think you already know the answer to that,” he says, letting his eyes travel down Yanan’s body. Even though the other man often initiated the (banter? teasing? openly flirting?) he got shy so easily when Hongseok reciprocated. He tries not to think about how much he’s affected as well. “Let’s clean up. I owe you some boba.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The boba place is closed. They’re standing outside the store and Yanan is glaring at it like the intensity of his eyes are enough to will it back open. He’s wearing glasses and a soft grey hoodie and his hair is slightly damp from showering and Hongseok feels a pang of yearning, so intense it scares him a little.</p><p>“This is the second time external forces have stopped us from having tea. I guess the universe is against us,” he says, sighing dramatically.</p><p>“Cool,” Yanan says, turning around so he can look him in the eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be a rebel.”</p><p>Hongseok laughs, incredulous. “Okay, Spartacus. We can keep rebelling another day, when tea shops are open. Now, I have to get home. My legs are killing me.”</p><p>“Did you walk here?” </p><p>He nods, already dreading the walk back to his apartment. It had been months since he had gone into the gym and his routines at home didn’t compare to a full body workout. </p><p>“C’mon, I’ll give you a ride.” Before he could open his mouth to politely decline, the younger man tugs at his arm. “You said you hadn’t been to the gym in a while, the first day back aches the most. I’ll take you, it really is no problem.”</p><p>How could he say no when Yanan’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern and he was pouting unknowingly, one hand wrapped around his wrist.</p><p>“Okay,” he says softly. “But I choose the music.”</p><p>He had planned to play some classic mandopop and impress Yanan with his mandarin and singing skills. What he hadn’t expected was the way the other man physically lit up when he recognized his mother tongue on the radio nor the rich voice that joined him for the song.</p><p>They spent the short ride like that, trying to form a harmony together while ballads played softly from the radio. They arrive too soon and both men are reluctant to part. Five years ago, Hongseok would’ve asked him to go into his apartment but today, he knew an unexplainable connection and attraction weren’t enough to let his guard down.</p><p>“Sorry I can’t invite you up yet,” he says looking at the trees through the windshield.</p><p>“Hey,” Yanan whispers, holding his hand and lacing their fingers together. “That’s okay. I wouldn’t have known how to respond anyways.”</p><p>He smiles. “I had a lot of fun today, Yananie.”</p><p>“Me too,” he answers, pressing his knuckles to his lips. “We should do this again sometime, hopefully with tea involved.”</p><p>“I’ll hold you to that.”</p><p>“You’re the one that owes me tea! You lost, remember?”</p><p>“Bye Yananie!” He says stepping out of the car. “I couldn’t hear that part very well, sorry, see you soon!” He finishes and quickly heads into his building, Yanan’s soft laughter lingering in his ears for the rest of the weekend.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>After their sudden meeting, Hongseok can’t stop running into Yanan. <em>Frequency illusion</em>, he thinks, as he and Yewon wave goodbye to him from outside the cafe. They were running some errands when they saw him, sitting by the window with the man who had helped him for Fire Day and someone else. Yewon had screamed in delight after seeing her teacher outside of school while Hongseok looked happily while the two men said things that caused Yanan’s cheeks to redden prettily. <em>You notice something once and then every instance of that thing is noticed, leading to the belief it has a high frequency of occurrence.</em></p><p>They find each other at the park, the grocery store, the ice cream shop, walking across the street. Yewon is there too, ecstatic to see her teacher often even though the initial starstruckness had long since disappeared. Yanan is more than happy to entertain her in between flirting with Hongseok. They never do more than exchange teasing remarks and lingering touches but it’s enough to leave him giddy for days. He feels like a high schooler with a crush and he acts like one too. He knows this. He’s accepted this. Jinho has not.</p><p>“You’re giving <em>me</em> blue balls, Hongseokie. Can’t you just… do something that is not staring longingly into the distance?” He complains one Friday while cooking, after Yewon has gone down for her nap.</p><p>“Fuck <em>off</em>, hyung. We both have responsibilities, we can’t just jump straight into a relationship.” </p><p>Jinho rolls his eyes, unperturbed. “I’m not saying you should marry him, you can just ask him out on a date. And before you start with the whole “but he’s my kid’s teacher” speech, it’s preschool, there are no grades or biases he can show.”</p><p>“It’s April anyways, she’s out in two months,” he replies. Not that he’s keeping track, anyways.</p><p>“Oh my god, it’s April! Invite him for our joint birthday bash!”</p><p>Hongseok freezes. There is no better gauge for a developing relationship as a single parent than meeting the friends and spending time with the child all at once. It’s actually… not a bad idea.</p><p>“I’ll ask. He’s shy with strangers so I don’t know if he’ll say yes—”</p><p>“Ask anyways! Tell him he can bring a friend, my house is big enough to take in two more people.”</p><p>“I’ll ask tomorrow so we can calculate the food we need,” he says before he can regret it. Once he makes any sort of deal with Jinho there is no going back.</p><p>“Great!” the older squeals. God, he hasn’t seen his friend excited like this for a long time with the exception of the mythical Demo Recorder Man, the only person who can make Jo Jinho blush in embarrassment. He’s regretting his decision already.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next day he leaves his house a little later than usual. He’d rather ask the man when the unavoidable crying kids have left and without stopping him from talking to parents with actual concerns and not just a stupid crush.</p><p>He arrives later than he had expected but the sight that welcomes him eases any possible feeling of guilt. Yanan and Yewon were sitting in the small stairs that led to the entrance to the preschool, both in the same step so their height difference is even more pronounced than usual. His daughter is talking animatedly, waving her hands to explain her point and Yanan is hanging to every single world, looking at her with so much care in his eyes. They’re probably shining with interest and Hongseok feels like screaming, just a little.</p><p>“Hi Princess,” he says softly, not wanting to break the moment.</p><p>“Papa!” She yells while flinging herself into his arms. He catches her and looks up, straight into Yanan’s eyes. They were shining.</p><p>“Hi Yananie,” he whispers, breathless. </p><p>“Hello! Yewonie was just telling me about you. Well, about your joint birthday celebrations with Jinho.”</p><p>Hongseok raises his eyebrows. What a coincidence. </p><p>“Was she now? Was she, perhaps, told to say this by her uncle Jinho?”</p><p>“Yes!” she exclaims. “Papa you’re so smart, how did you know?”</p><p>“Sadly, I know your uncle too well, Princess.” He sighs. So much for a romantic invitation. </p><p>“Well, I don’t,” Yanan interjects. “Why did he want me to know about your birthdays?”</p><p>“Because…” He hesitates, biting slightly into his lip. “I wanted to see if you were free to come join our celebration? It’s nothing big, really. Just dinner between friends. Oh, and you can bring a friend too, so you won’t feel left out,” he finishes quickly, wanting to get all the information out there before he can second guess himself.</p><p>Yanan looks shocked as he processes the information. “You… you really want me to go?”</p><p>“It would be the best birthday present,” he answers honestly.</p><p>Yanan’s answering smile lights up his entire face. “I’ll be there.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>He knows it's his birthday as soon as he feels a screaming weight barrelling against his chest way before his alarm is due to ring.  </p><p>"Morning, Princess," he says, voice still hoarse from sleep. </p><p>She giggles in response, poking at his face. "Papa it's your birthday! Happy birthday!"</p><p>He smiles despite the hour, her excitement contagious. "Thank you Yewonie. Can my gift be sleeping for a little longer?" </p><p>She sits on his chest in response, putting her tiny hands on his cheeks. "Your gift is that I'm helping you make pancakes for breakfast!" She says proudly. </p><p>He sighs theatrically. "Well… since it's a present from my wonderful daughter then I <em>guess</em> I have no choice but to accept." He gets a squeal in response to his antics and before he can force her into cuddling for a while she’s already run into the kitchen.</p><p>“Papa, pancakes! I can’t reach the counters,” she exclaims. He resigns himself to an early start to his day and stands up.</p><p>By the time they're done with breakfast he has to give his daughter an early bath. They're both covered with flour and sticky with syrup but they don't mind, not when happiness feels like a tangible figure in their sunlit kitchen. </p><p>Once they're both clean it's still too early to head out to school so they settle on the couch, an animal documentary on the TV. Predictably, they fall asleep. </p><p>He wakes up 40 minutes later, confused and with a drooling child by his side. He looks at his watch and sits up quickly, all traces of sleep leaving his body. </p><p>"Yewon, wake up, we're late," he whispers, picking up her backpack and putting on his shoes. She whines, just as sleepy. </p><p>Hongseok holds her in his arms and puts on her shoes. "Okay, you're going to have to wake up on the way to school, Princess."</p><p>He runs out of the apartment, as fast as he can while carrying a sleeping child in his arms. He gets there relatively fast but once he sees there's no one outside and the gates are closed he knows he's late. </p><p>He rings the doorbell while his daughter tries to wriggle out of his grip, finally awake enough to stand on her own. </p><p>The school director/administrator Oh Seunghee walked out, dressed in a black suit.  </p><p>"Good morning Mr. Yang, Yewon. Come in, classes have just started," she says, smiling. </p><p>They walk in and she accompanies them into the doorway of the class, apologizing when she can't see him out due to a sudden phone call. She leaves just as the door opens, a surprised looking Yanan right behind it. </p><p>He's wearing a turquoise knit sweater that looks too warm for the weather but that reveals a part of his tattoo. Hongseok feels his throat dry up. </p><p>"Hi. Sorry we're late, we overslept."</p><p>"No worries, we're just getting started," he says, a smile overtaking his features. "Come in Yewonie, let me take your bag."</p><p>She thanks him and runs towards her friends, excited to be at school. He stares fondly while she begins telling her friends a story. He's interrupted out of his thoughts by a hand circling his wrist. </p><p>"Happy birthday, hyung," Yanan whispers, squeezing slightly. "See you later."</p><p>Hongseok stutters out a goodbye and steps outside, the press of fingers against his wrist a palpable presence for the rest of the day.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>He arrives at Jinho’s place one hour before the guests are expected so he can help tidy things around, holding a present adorned with a red ribbon in one hand and his daughter’s hand on the other one. </p><p>Jinho hasn’t even finished opening the door before a screaming three year old barrels into his legs. “Happy birthday, Uncle!” She yells, looking expectantly between two men. </p><p>Hongseok sighs, knowing exactly what she wants.</p><p>“Happy birthday, hyung!” He exclaims, handing him the gift. Jinho receives it and goes into his kitchen retrieving a package with a matching ribbon.</p><p>“Happy birthday Hongseokie!”</p><p>Yewon laughs loudly, clapping her tiny hands together. Ever since she was old enough to register it, she’s regarded the fact that her father and uncle share a birthday like the maximum height of comedy. Both men are more than happy to entertain her and that’s how they spend the remaining hour: pre-preparing meat and vegetables for the barbecue, reorganizing chairs to maximize space and, every once in a while, going “Hyung, did you know today was my birthday?” “Really? It’s mine too!” just to make the kid break into a fit of laughter.</p><p>After exactly one hour, guests start coming in. Surprising everyone, including themselves, Wooseok and Hyunggu are the first ones to arrive. They exchange their greetings and immediately install themselves in the living room, ready to play with Yewon until the barbecue is lit up.</p><p>The next time the doorbell rings, Hongseok feels his heart skip a beat. He feels stupid, getting this excited about seeing and interacting with Yanan in a different setting. Before he can get distracted with thoughts about the other out of the ordinary place he’d met him, he opens the door.</p><p>“Hoetaek-hyung? Shinwon? What are you doing here?”</p><p>After spending almost all of Fire Day together, they had created a group chat where they mostly made fun of Hoetaek and organized outings for the kids whenever Seonho’s mother was busy. Hongseok had invited them to his birthday dinner but the couple said they had a previous compromise with one of Hoetaek’s work friends.</p><p>“Hui, Shinwon! Glad you could make it!” Jinho exclaims from the kitchen, signaling for them to come inside. </p><p>“Oh, so you’re Hui,” he says, pointing at Hoetaek, realization dawning upon him.</p><p>“It’s my producer tag, I don’t know why Jinho-hyung insists on calling me that,” he answers, shaking his head and pulling Shinwon inside by the hand.</p><p>“You should call him MU$H,” he fake whispers, making sure Jinho can listen. “It was his rapper name back in high school.”</p><p>The aforementioned man groans. “C’mon man, I told you that in <em>confidence</em>!” </p><p>Everyone laughs and before Hongseok can offer to show performance videos—courtesy of Jinho’s mother—the doorbell rings again.</p><p>It’s Yanan, flanked by two men. He vaguely recognizes one of them but can’t really be bothered to check his memories, not when Yanan is wearing fitted black pants that make his legs look kilometric and a silk shirt with more than two buttons open. </p><p>He moves his gaze upward, trying to focus on the man’s face and regrets it almost immediately. He’s wearing eyeshadow, a pink and shimmery detail that accentuates his long eyelashes and shining eyes. </p><p>After what feels like forever but probably doesn’t even amount to a minute he moves aside, signalling the men to come in. </p><p>“Happy birthday,” Yanan says pushing a small package onto Hongseok’s eyes. “You can’t open it until I’m gone.”</p><p>He pockets the present and promises not to peek until the party is over.</p><p>“These are my friends, Yuto and Changgu,” he introduces. “But Changgu is here to keep someone else company,” he finishes, eyes twinkling mischievously. </p><p>“Oh, so you’re the demo recorder!” he remarks. “Jinho, your final guest is here!” He exchanges a look with Yanan, pleased to find his teasing smile mirrored across the other man's face.</p><p>“Hello. Whatever Hongseok said was a lie. Can you help me turn on the grill, Changgu?”</p><p>The mentioned man murmurs his agreement and they head towards the backyard. Jinho is mature enough to ignore the obligatory “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” he screams at him but Yanan laughs at his joke. Hongseok considers it a win. </p><p>The rest of the night is spent like that, between laughter and food. Jinho and Changgu man the barbecue and refuse to let anyone else near it. Yewon is completely charmed by Yuto, who speaks to her politely and listens attentively. Wooseok and Hyunggu are also enraptured by the foreign man, they were apparently long time fans of each other’s Soundcloud accounts. They make for an endearing picture, the four of them; three grown men and a three year old, looking at the night sky like it holds a secret only they can see.</p><p>He’s jolted back into the present by Yanan’s melodic laughter. Shinwon and him clicked like they had known each other for years, though they were currently having a heated debate over the benefits of the new McDonald's menu, Hoetaek joining in every once in a while to support and/or ridicule his boyfriend. Hongseok is content simply staring at the scene; birthdays always make him emotional. This wasn’t how he imagined his life at 29 but, as Yanan looked up while Shinwon ranted about non-vegetarian fries, a silent question in his eyes, he feels at peace where he is. He smiles softly in response to the unasked are you okay, holding eye contact until the younger begins to blush.</p><p>“You’re not listening to me,” Shinwon states, pouting slightly.</p><p>The red in Yanan’s cheeks deepens. “I was! You said you wanted to start a petition to change the french fries’ preparation… right?”</p><p>Shinwon hums, contemplative. “I guess some men can actually multitask.”</p><p>Hongseok rolls his eyes. “Not everyone is like you, who needs to stop walking just to stare at your boyfriend.”</p><p>“Maybe if you had a boyfriend of your own, hyung…” he retorts, wiggling his eyebrows. He shoves him lightly and ignores the fake cries of pain, knowing all his friend wants is attention from Hoetaek.</p><p>Instead, he lifts his eyes to Yanan only to find the other man already looking at him. They stay like that, eyes locked, until Hongseok winks just so he can hear him laugh in surprise. It’s stupid, how easily they match each other’s mood and how fast they’ve picked up on cues to have a silent conversation. He thinks that, just this time, he’s willing to entertain stupidity.</p><p>All too soon, the dishes are emptied and it’s time for the cake. Wooseok and Hyunggu had bought it, a three layered vanilla sugar bomb with “Jinhongseok” written as a decorating pattern.</p><p>Yewon sings the loudest, giggling when she yells out the combination of their names. She’s standing on top of a stool clapping excitedly and Yanan has one of his big hands around her waist, just in case her energy causes her to stumble. She makes them take turns blowing out the candle and when it’s his turn he looks at the two of them, giving him twin grins of encouragement. He closes his eyes. Maybe this wish isn’t too far away from reality.</p><p>Despite it being his birthday, he isn’t free from dish washing duty so, after a while, he heads into the kitchen leaving his daughter to burn through her cake induced sugar rush with her newfound victims, Jinho and Changgu.</p><p>It’s funny to think that his best friend’s crush is such close friends with his own crush. In a different universe he would’ve been Jinho’s plus one to an event and met Yanan in completely different circumstances. In another one, they could’ve met at the gym for the first time, using posture checks as an excuse to linger close. Maybe the universe isn’t as against them as he had once thought.</p><p>“Does washing dishes make you that happy?” Yanan wonders, grabbing a dish towel and starting to dry the things Hongseok had cleaned.</p><p>“Nah, I was just thinking about you,” he answers sincerely. </p><p>Yanan steps closer into his space, until their shoulders bump together. Their slight height difference is accentuated like this. Hongseok swallows audibly. </p><p>"Yeah? What about me?" he asks, taking the dish from Hongseok's hands while letting their fingers brush together.  </p><p>"That if today's any indication we were bound to meet anyways. Guess I'm not going to be the one making you rebel against the universe."</p><p>"I don't mind," he responds, setting the towel down and turning around so his back is pressing against the counter. "Besides, you still owe me boba. Who knows what will happen then."</p><p>Hongseok turns off the sink and mimics the younger's position. "I guess you're right. When are you free?" he asks before he can lose his nerve. </p><p>"When the school year ends," he replies, sounding genuinely upset by those words. Hongseok understands but that doesn't mean he is happy with the situation. He moves so he can stand in front of Yanan, staring intently into his eyes. </p><p>“And until then?” he whispers, hoping to keep the desperation out of his voice. He's not sure it's working. </p><p>Yanan leans impossibly closer, standing up straight so he’s the tallest one in their position. Slowly, he starts leaning in, eyes never leaving his mouth. Hongseok gulps and closes his eyes. The next thing he feels is hot breath fanning the side of his face and lips grazing his ear.</p><p>“You can have my number,” Yanan whispers. He lets out an embarrassing noise in response and throws his head back, aching for something <em>more</em>. Yanan traces his lips down his jaw, soft enough it can’t even be considered a kiss.</p><p>“Hongseok, have you seen my— Oh my god!” Jinho exclaims, after marching into the kitchen. They separate so quickly they bump their heads together, both blushing furiously. “I have a spare room with a lock for a reason, Hong, my poor kitchen!”</p><p>“Please stop talking,” Hongseok pleads, feeling heat all over his face.</p><p>Like the all-knowing angel she is, Yewon chooses that moment to step into the kitchen rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Papa, I’m tired.”</p><p>It works better than a cold water bucket ever would. He picks her up and starts collecting their things, apologizing for having to cut the night short. His friends wave him off, all cooing at the adorable sight of a half-asleep Yewon. </p><p>They make it to the doorway before he realizes he’s missing his cellphone. Before he can begin looking for it in earnest, Yanan walks up to him, stopping closer than is strictly necessary. He feels the other man wrap his arm around his side and put something into his back pocket.</p><p>“I don’t break my promises, hyung.”</p><p>“How did you know my p—” He’s interrupted by a soft squeeze of his waist. </p><p>“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict 0417 as your password.” Yanan’s thumb is moving slowly across his skin. Hongseok would’ve assumed it was an unconscious movement if it wasn’t for the way Yanan had his eyes fixed on that single point of contact. He smiles, grabbing that hand and brushing it against his lips, just so he can see the taller man blush.</p><p>“See you soon,” he mumbles, stepping out of the house. He gives himself ten seconds to stare longingly at the closed door before he forces himself to get moving. </p><p>After putting his daughter to sleep, he starts getting ready for bed himself. When he takes off his blazer a small package rolls out into the bed. The present. He unwraps it carefully, expectant. Inside, he finds a dried camellia flower pressed onto a glass container and a small pouch brimming with tea leaves. ‘Butterflies’ feels too gentle a word to describe what he feels in his stomach. Hippopotamus or rhinoceros seem to be more adequate.</p><p>He sets everything on his bedside table and finishes getting ready. Before falling asleep, he opens the messaging app on his phone.</p><p>
  <strong>me</strong>
</p><p><em>thank you. for being there today, for the gift, for this whole year.<br/>
just… thank u :D </em>
</p><p><strong>from. yananie *.* </strong><br/>
i had lots of fun today hongseok. thank u for letting me be a part of your life ^.^<br/>
sleep well<br/>
see u soon !</p><p>He can’t stop smiling even while he falls asleep.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ever since his birthday they've been texting nonstop. They send each other cheesy good morning messages, selfies that border on thirst traps and protein heavy recipes. Sometimes, when Yewon is particularly moody, they facetime and the soft voice coming through the speakers is a welcome distraction and comfort to both. That’s why today, Yewon’s last day at preschool, feels bittersweet. </p><p>He’s saved from thinking too much about the unstoppable growth of his daughter and the promise of a new relationship he’s been holding on to since April by the buzzing of his phone.</p><p><strong>from. yananie *.* </strong><br/>
after the closing exhibit<br/>
you better take me to the boba you owe me </p><p>
  <strong>me</strong>
</p><p><em>it’s a date then</em>
</p><p>He smiles at the cute blushing sticker he gets in response. After almost half a year he can finally fulfill his promise. The thrill of getting to spend time with Yanan face to face, learning more about him and teasing laughter out of him seems like an appealing way to fill his summer. He can’t wait for what’s coming.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you to prompter #82 and mod scorpio for organizing such a lovely fest! i know this may not have been what the prompter intended but i am a sucker for family tropes so, you get 10k words of... this. in case it wasn't obvious, i know absolutely nothing about working out and there's only so much google can do for you for such a relative topic.</p><p>also consider i haven't posted anything i've written in five years so please forgive me if my writing is a little rusty and for not knowing how to format properly. also also, english isn't my first language so kindly ignore the unavoidable grammar mistakes! </p><p>thank you for reading &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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